How to Efficiently Process Content Updates

Tips for HowNow® Administrators in Accounting Firms

3 Essentials for an Effective HowNow® Administrator

1. You need to have at least intermediate skills in using Microsoft® Windows, Word® and Excel®.

2. You need to have undergone full HowNow® Administrator training. If you are a new HowNow® Administrator in your firm and you have not received full HowNow® Administrator training from businessfitness™, please contact our Support Team on 1800 99 11 00 for pricing.

3. You need enthusiasm! That is, you need to understand the benefits of systemisation and standardisation that HowNow® will bring to your firm. Without an appreciation of the 'bigger picture' about why HowNow® is so important to your firm's success, then the HowNow® Administrator role won't be as fulfilling as it might otherwise be.

Downloading Content Updates

If your organisation subscribes to a HowNow® content product—such as HowNow® Accountants—it is the responsibility of your HowNow ®Administrator to download the Content Updates.

Depending on the product, the Content Updates might be monthly, quarterly, annually, or as required.

If your HowNow® Administrator has selected the File > System Options > Updates tab settings of Internet Access Available and Automatically Check For Updates, HowNow® will automatically check for available Content Updates once a day when the HowNow® Administrator logs into HowNow®.

The following procedure describes how to manually check for Content Updates:

1. Select Content > Check for Updates. If internet access is available, the Content Update Wizard dialog will appear with a list of the available Content Updates.

2. If no Content Updates are available, the Update button will be disabled. If Content Updates are available, click the Update button.

3. Follow the prompts until the download process is completed.

4. On completion of the download process, a Content Update Review dialog will appear if there are documents on the HowNow Administrator’s review list.

5. Choose Leave them on my review list for later review if the new or updated documents are to be reviewed or Accept them to make them available to all team members if you want to make all of the new and updated documents made current and visible to all team members without a review.

6. If the option selected above is Leave them on my review list for later review, the downloaded items will appear on the HowNow Administrator’s Review list.

7. On the Documents screen in HowNow®, select My Review to see all the items on your (the Administrator's) Review List. To assign the items to others for review, right click an item and select Add to Review List. Select the appropriate Team Member(s), type a message (e.g. 'Please review by Wed 4 June') and click OK.

Comparing Changes

The changes made to documents released in a Content Update can be compared with your current documents by following the instructions in the 'Compare and Merge Document Changes' document in your HowNow®. Search for that in the Documents screen of HowNow®.

Content Update Log

The Content Update Log is no longer published as an Excel file in each Content Update because this report can be produced within the HowNow® software.

To produce a list of documents in a Content Update:

• Select the appropriate Content Update number next to the Content Module dropdown.

• Select Reports > Search Results.

• Tick all boxes in the Document Search Results Report window.

• Print the report.

View 'All Review' Items

In the Documents screen you can select All Review from the Display dropdown to show a list of all items that are on Review Lists within your firm's HowNow®.

Select Active in the Status dropdown and select Current & New in the Editions dropdown.

Click the Person column header to sort on whose Review Lists the items are on.

Managing the Content Reviewers in Your Firm

Frequently remind the Content Reviewers in your firm that it is critical that the most recently published documents are made available to your team as soon as possible, especially at the start of the new tax year.

'Made available' means that the new Editions of documents need to be made 'Current' as soon as possible.

Explain to Content Reviewers that not until newly received Editions of documents are made Current will they be seen by standard (non-Author, non-Reviewer, non-Administrator) users of HowNow® in the firm. In other words, it up to the Reviewers in your firm to review and approve documents so that you (the HowNow® Administrator) can then make them Current as soon as possible; otherwise it will be as if your firm never received the new Editions of the documents because your firm will not be benefiting from them.

As HowNow® Administrator it is part of your role to assign documents to the relevant Reviewers as soon as they are received via a Content Update.

Set deadlines for Reviewers for reviewing each document. Enter the deadline in the Message field when adding items to someone's Review List.

Use the 'All Review' filter as explained above to monitor Reviewers who are falling behind with their content review work. Address delays directly with Reviewers and where necessary, escalate significant delays to your supervisor or manager so that they can communicate directly with the Reviewer.

Remind Reviewers to make as few changes as possible to documents because each change your firm makes to a document will mean that future Editions of the document published by businessfitness™ will need to be compared with your modified Edition before accepting the new Edition as Current or alternatively modifying your existing Edition of the document to bring it up-to-date. Either way, modifying the content creates work for your firm.

Typically firms modify the letters and the procedures because it's important to customise these to suit the firm. However, it is recommended that your firm does not modify the checklists and workpapers because these are long and detailed documents that are frequently published.

Rather than make changes to checklists and workpapers, email your suggested changes to content@businessfitness.net so that businessfitness™ can make the changes for you—assuming the changes you suggest would suit the vast majority of firms—and that way there is no additional work for your firm to do when a new Edition of that document is published in a Content Update by businessitness™.

 

If you have any further questions about how to best manage the Content Update and Content Review process within your firm, please contact your businessfitness™ Client Manager or telephone our Support Team on 1800 99 11 00 and ask to be put through to your assigned Client Manager.